The US$415 million settlement Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe proposed in the employee anti-poaching lawsuit brought by Silicon Valley employees has a preliminary greenlight. Judge Lucy Koh chose not to deny the settlement amount and instead has scheduled a new hearing where it will likely get her official nod of approval.

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The companies involved in the employee anti-poaching scheme were essentially caught red-handed. It's good to see this case closing in on a real settlement so everyone who was impacted by not being able to land a better job can finally move on.

Google says it's ready to launch its own cell service as an MVNO. John Martellaro and The MacCast's Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to talk about what Google's entry into the cell service provider market could mean for AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, plus they sort out what's really going on with credit card scammers and Apple Pay.

Google has plans to go beyond making the operating system for your smartphone and now wants to offer its own cell service, too. The Internet search giant said it plans to make an announcement in the coming months, and that it doesn't plan to compete with the current crop of cell service providers.

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Google launching its own MVNO cell service sounds like another shakeup for the market even though the company says this is a way for it to experiment. If Google offers price plans and features AT&T and Verizon customers find appealing, they'll have to respond or risk losing some of their marketshare—just as they've had to do with T-Mobile.

Pebble clearly wasn't done with its new smartwatch announcements when it unveiled its Kickstarter for Pebble Time because now you can preorder Pebble Time Steel, too. The Steel version of Pebble Time comes with an all metal body instead of the Time's metal bezel on a plastic body, plus it sports longer batter life.

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Seeing people flip over Pebble Time and Pebble Steel doesn't necessarily mean the entire market has been holding out waiting for something besides the devices that are already shipping, but it does show that consumers who want certain brands are willing to buy without a second thought. That's a very good sign for Apple Watch when it goes on sale.

Developers have been able to try out the beta version of OS X 10.10.3, and as of Monday the public can, too. Mac users who signed up to participate in the public beta program can download the latest prerelease build of the upcoming Mac OS update, and it includes a beta version of the iPhoto replacement app Photos, too.

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Don't forget beta means "not ready to ship," so there may be bugs and other surprises that cause app crashes and data loss. If you're planning on playing with the beta consider installing in on a Mac that isn't critical for your daily work.

Samsung fired up its copiers to make the Galaxy S6 smartphone very iPhone 6-like. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to discuss when and why Samsung copies Apple and other device makers, plus they dive into the news that Apple documents in Switzerland say the company is in the car business.

Apple's US$800 billion market could grow to $3.4 trillion in the next five years, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty, because every aspect of the iPhone and iPad maker's business is poised to expand even more. That growth will come because Apple is poised to be a bigger part of our daily lives with Apple Watch, Apple Car, and Apple TV.

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Here's the translation: If Apple makes it the money will come, no matter what the product may be.

Apple hasn't made an official statement about whether or not it's designing a car, but a recent change to its corporate documents in Switzerland makes it clear the company has its eye on the automotive market. The document change says vehicles are part of its business operations, which all but screams "We're making a car."

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Apple is always on the hunt for the next market to disrupt, and its updated corporate description in Switzerland backs up our report that the company really is working on a car. Automotive industry, you've been put on notice.

Apple is building a mystery room off the side of the Yerba Buena Events Center in San Francisco ahead of its March 9 "Spring forward" media event. Apple did the same when it first showed off the Apple Watch last September, which means the room is most likely a demonstration area for the company's new smartwatch again.

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If Apple is setting up a demonstration area, it's a safe be Apple Watch is finally ready for proper hands-on time instead of the tightly controlled demos we had last September when the smartwatch was still in development.

Not everyone has the same expectations for Apple's March 9 media event. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to duke it out over what announcements we may get along with more Apple Watch news on the 9th, including John's prediction for a gold Retina Display MacBook Air.

Jeff Gamet

Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.